A New Begninning
by Daisystarre
Summary: She threw away everything, her friends, and her family, for the welfare of her village. When she lets herself get captured by the Akatsuki on purpose, she finds her new life different from what she expected. OC warning!
1. Departure

**(Written by Aileen, this is a shared account fyi so yea...) I've always wondered if there were more Jashinists in the naruverse... so I decided to write something related to that. This is one of my first fanfics, and I've never been the best at writing, so sorry if it's not that good. Also, there's OCs in here, if you didn't read the summary. And just so you know, sorry if there's a bit of OOC. I won't be doing any pairings for now, unless it really fits or something. Rated T for language and violence even though the first few chapters won't be too bad, but just in case, you know.**

**I also drew the first scene, since I was going to make it into a doujin, but it too way to long. The link is on my profile page.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Tsunade stared, dumbfounded at the young woman in front of her. She had no idea what to make of the situation. Here was one of her most trusted ANBU, a gifted med-nin, and a skilled barrier ninjutsu user. Takimoto Haruka stood there obediently. _How could she act so calm?_ Tsunade thought horrified_, Dammit, she left the village on an S-rank mission with two other shinobi. And here she is,_ alone_ and covered in the remains of her comrades!_

"Is there anything wrong, Tsunade-sama..?" Haruka asked innocently.

"Tell me your mission report again. I believe I didn't hear you correctly," Tsunade ordered through gritted teeth.

"I eliminated the bandits fortunately. They were very skilled, apparently, which I now understand why it was an S-rank mission. Unfortunately, Takuro and Koji were killed in the process. You said that I had to ensure that this mission was to be a success didn't you? So while they were holding the bandits down, I cut through them."

"Haruka... you're a med-nin. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HEAL YOUR COMRADES, NOT KILL THEM GODDAMMIT!"

At this that point, Tsunade's temper won over and she completely lost it. After at least five minutes, she finally calmed down and continued.

"You're dismissed. We will talk later."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Haruka bowed her head slightly and disappeared in a poof of smoke.  
Tsunade thought she saw a flash remorse under the ANBU mask just before she left. She quickly dismissed it and brought her hands to her temples. Haruka surely did not help lessen the headache from that morning.

A group of boisterous genins had barged into her office earlier that morning looking for a lost pet cockroach. After searching for 30 minutes straight, they requested her help. Hell no! She wasn't going to search the entire village for a bug.

Shortly after that, Kakashi came wandering in with that perverted book of his, asking what she wanted. Tsunade had called for him three hours ago! Kakashi just laughed nervously and came up with another lame excuse.

In Tsunade's frustration, she had sighed and looked out the window, just to see Shizune stumble precariously towards the Hokage Tower with an extravagant pile of paperwork.

After Kakashi had been given his mission and dismissed, Tsunade had sat back and hoped her terrible morning would end. It didn't. Just at that moment Tonton had burst through the door that Kakashi had forgotten to close. A cat followed, hissing. Frightened to death, Tonton had leaped into Tsunade's arms and snuggled there, trembling. Two chuunins had appeared, out of breath, and dove after the cat. Papers had flown everywhere. Tables and chairs had been turned over. Tsunade had sat in the midst of the chaos, barely containing her temper. Finally, the cat had escaped the room, with the chuunins in pursuit. Who the hell had sent two chuunins to catch a simple cat? Plus, they were obviously not skilled, Tsunade now wondered, and how the heck had they passed the chuunin exams? Even some idiot genin could catch a cat. She had Haruka to deal with also.

Tsunade fumed. When had Haruka become so straightforward? Sure, she was from a rash clan of overly suicidal and religious people, but she had proven herself a powerful and loyal shinobi at the mere age of ten. Haruka always put her comrades in consideration before attacking.

Maybe her clan elder had talked her into following her religion for once. They were the damned Jashinists. They never planned ahead. They were only loyal the 'wonderful Lord Jashin-sama.' Tsunade glared at the floor. Why the hell had her grandfather let these idiots into her village? They were loyal to the death god.

A realization struck Tsunade. She frowned. Why hadn't she noticed before? Haruka had been acting odd recently. The other day, she even refused to treat a hospital patient in a dangerous condition. Tsunade sighed. She would watch Haruka closely for a few days. Suddenly, a knock on the office door disturbed Tsunade from her train of thought. She sighed again, "Come in."

* * *

Haruka jumped from roof to roof, careful to avoid people. She especially didn't want to run into her teammate, Akio, one of the many geniuses from the famous Nara clan. One look at her, he would know something was wrong. Despite being the lazy ass Akio was, nothing could quell his curiosity. She was screwed if he found out and plus, he probably had already seen how odd she was acting lately.

Seeing her apartment ahead, Haruka breathed a sigh of relief. No one had seen her yet. Quickly, Haruka slipped through the window and flopped down tiredly onto the floor. She groaned. The clan compound would've been so much comfier. The higher ups had kicked her out a year ago for not performing rituals or sacrificing things on time. She was a med-nin. She wouldn't hurt other people or herself on purpose. Not all the time at least. No way would she cut herself up on a daily basis.

Haruka glanced distastefully at the floor tiles in the kitchen. It was splattered with blood from one of her past rituals. The higher ups of her clan had personally come in to make sure she performed that damn ritual. Seeing nothing to do, she got up, changed out of her ANBU gear, and went to clean up her mess.

She hummed sadly as she filled a bucket full of water. This would probably be her last time seeing her apartment. A long time ago, Haruka had requested to join the Akatsuki as a Konoha spy. She loved her village and wanted to help eliminate the evil organization of S-rank criminals.

"I refuse. You are one of Konoha's strongest shinobi. I won't send you on a suicide mission," Haruka mockingly repeated Tsunade's reply out loud.

Haruka scrubbed the floor vigurosly with a killing intent. She would go herself. She would defy the Hokage's orders and go as a self appointed spy. So many people had requested the same thing that Tsunade had probably forgotten about her request already.

_That just makes things easier, _Haruka thought. _I suppose I'll leave tonight. And put my acting skills in use._

* * *

"Shizune!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"Get Haruka here! Right now! And be quick about it!"

"H-hai!"

Shizune rushed out of the room. Tsunade glared daggers at the door.

It opened a few minutes later. In came Haruka, acting as if nothing had happened. She looked curious and quirked an eyebrow.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Tsunade raged and slammed her hands into the table. Harukai looked bemused.

_She's not taking me seriously_. Tsunade glared.

"Oh. I just broke into the storage of forbbiden scrolls. And killed a few civilians." Haruka looked thoughtfully at Tsunade's angry face, "Why, they were drunk and threw a bottle wt me. They wanted to take me home. You think I wouldn't lose my temper at that? And what can you do about it, Tsunade-sama? My problems are my own after all."

Without warning, Haruka flung three kunais at Tsunade and jumped out the window, shattering the glass. Shizune quickly blocked the kunais. She looked out the window, but Haruka had already disappeared into the darkness of the night. Shizune glanced cautiously at Tsunade.

"Fuck."

* * *

A dark shadow darted between the buildings. Even a trained eye would not have been able to spot it. The shadow slinked towards the outskirts of Konoha.

A figure waited near a tree. The shadow appeared next to it.

"Haruka-nee…" an ANBU slipped off her mask to reveal a girl, no more than the age of fifteen.

Haruka stared at the younger girl sadly. After a moment, she reached into her pouch containing ninja tools and pulled out three scrolls.

"Yo, Kasumi. Here's one of the scrolls I stole. Can you return it to Tsunade-sama? I trust you'll make up a convincing pretext. I'm keeping the other two, since there's jutsus I don't know about on them. It might help with dealing with the Akatsuki. "

"What about the people you killed? Are they really dead?" Kasumi cautiously accepted the scroll. Haruka blinked.

"Or course not. Why the hell would I kill fellow Konoha citizens? Well not really, since I'm technically no longer a citizen. "

"Then where are they?" Kasumi responded. She handed Haruka a scroll filled with weapons and gear, and a pack of food and extra clothes in return.

"I put them under a genjutsu. They're in a nearby village, thinking they're civilians of that village."

Kasumi stared at her incredulously.

But, knowing Haruka, her skills seemed to have no limits.

"Well, remember to meet me here once every two months or so," Kasumi slipped on her mask, "You'll know when. And please don't get yourself killed."

The two shinobi stared at each other a bit longer and then separated. Both shadows silently disappeared into the abyss of the night.

* * *

The lone shinobi woke up to the chirping of the birds. Haruka blinked. Where was she? As the memories from the previous day slowly crept back, she gasped. An ominous, but familiar chakra signature was making its way towards her. The chakra was masked so well that even an ANBU like her could barely sense it. Nearly falling out of the tree that she had been sleeping in, Haruka quickly pulled her hitai-ate off. She grabbed a kunai and slashed across the leaf symbol, breaking off all her bonds.

_What is he doing here?_

* * *

"Oi, I sense chakra ahead. Lots of it in fact."

"Hn"

The two shinobi continued on the way, towards the unknown chakra source.

Meanwhile, Haruka was settling down at the base of the tree. She was nervous and anxious. Taking a deep breath, Haruka pulled on her emotionless façade. If she screwed this act up, then she was a goner. The Akatsuki were ruthless murderers, and everyone knew that. They wouldn't hesitate to kill her if they got suspicious.

"Kunoichi."

Said shinobi looked up, careful to avoid the voice's eyes. She knew that voice. She had worked under him before becoming an ANBU. It was the one and only Uchiha Itachi and the sharingan might've been activated.

"Uchiha."

"My, my. Look what we have here. Who would expect such a young kunoichi to have so much chakra?" another voice called out.

Haruka slowly looked past Itachi.

"Kisame," she acknowledged. She recognized his face from the ANBU's bingo book. Here she was, facing two of the world's most dangerous criminals.

"What are you doing here, kunoichi?" Itachi asked quietly

"I don't see anyone named Kunoichi around here."

_My inability to resist sarcasm will lead to my downfall._

"I asked you a question."

"Does it matter?"

"Hey, kunoichi, just answer the damn question," Kisame butted in, "Unless you want your ass kicked."

Haruka turned her head and stared blankly at Kisame.

"I'm female."

_Holy shit I'm going to be killed!_

Before Haruka could respond, her back was against the tree. Warm fingers pressed against her neck. Kisame frowned slightly. Haruka's blank look didn't waver, even when he increased the pressure on her neck a bit.

"You really want to be killed, don't you?"

"No, fishface, I don't plan on dying early. And I'm personally surprised you're warm-blooded."

"Cut it out."

Two heads turned at the sound of Itachi's voice.

"Kisame, we're going back to the hideout."

"We haven't even completed the mission Leader assigned to us!" Kisame protested.

Silently, Itachi gestured towards Haruka. Understanding dawned on Kisame's face.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kisame said as he looked away. A red tomoe swirled in Itachi's eyes. Haruka knew what was coming, and was aware that the Akatuski needed a medical nin.

_Step one- accomplished,_ she thought, smirking slightly to herself. Glancing at Itachi, she deliberately succumbed to the genjutsu.


	2. Meeting

**Chapter two is out! Sorry for taking a long time updating. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft or the Hunger aeries series!**

* * *

I opened my eyes. _Where am I?_ I wondered as I got up. The pain from last time had already gone away. I was lying on a bed. As I looked around I figured that I was on a train which was moving faster than any car on the highway. Ahead of me was a banner with the words "New York" on it. Beside the words was the logo for Minecraft. Then I remembered, I got warped into the Minecraft game. Looking around the train, I realized that the train was very nice. There were couches, tables, chairs, TVs, computers, and many more. But the question was where the heck was I?

"Your finally awake," someone behind me said. I quickly turned around and saw a boy behind me. He looked a bit older. His hair was spiky yellow. He was wearing a black suit with the words, "Minecraft Battle Games."

"Who are you? And why am I here?" I asked bluntly.

"I'm Joshua, your introducer. Before you ask anymore questions, let me tell you a bit of what I know. You are chosen as a tribute to join this year's first Minecraft Battle Game. There are a total of 26 players," the boy explained.

"How come everything isn't pixelated? Everything looks normal," I asked.

He answered, "We aren't in the Minecraft game right now. We are on Earth. Of course, that is going to change once the game begins. Everything will look like blocks, even the animals. However, the tributes will still look normal." Continuing, "The tributes will have to fight one another. During that time period, no one can log out. You guys each get three lives. Once these lives are used up, you die not only from this Minecraft world, but also from Earth."

"So I have to kill everyone else to win? And if I lose then I will die? I quit!" I said in horror.

Joshua shook his head. "I'm sorry. There's no backing up. Once chosen, you have to compete."

"But why? What if I escape? What if I die before the contests?"

"There's no way to escape. You can try if you want. And if you die, then you will basically be letting your state down. You are from New York right?" Joshua asked.

I nodded.

"Exactly. If you don't even try to win, then your letting New York down," he said. It all seem really vague to me but I decided to go along with it. I nodded again. "Well two players, a boy and a girl, are chosen from 13 states. The Capitol chooses them."

"What if we got allies and fight together? Can two people win or-"

"No," he interrupted, "You guys will eventually haveto kill each other. There will be food shortage and Mobs that are programmed to kill you."

"But I'm not good at playing Minecraft. This is my first time playing!" I said slowly. _I will surely die,_ I thought.

"Then you will have to learn fast. There are people here who have been playing Minecraft for years. Don't worry. The people that are hosting the game will give you guys a week of practice. But it's going to be on the lite version of Minecraft so there won't be any hunger and you can't make any items. Also, there won't be any multiplayer. You won't be in the game. It will be more like an RPG game. But the real battle will be a VRMMORPG game.

"What's that?" I replied.

"What? VRMMORPG? Oh that's virtual reality massive multiplayer online role-playing game. So basically you will be in the game. Anything in the game that happens to you will be real."

"So basically you get it now don't you? All you have to do is to kill 25 players and then you will win and get to go back home. That's all for now. Your mentor will tell you more tips later," Joshua said.

"Where are we right now?" I asked.

"In your room on the train. Every tribute has their own room. This is where you will spend the next one or two days. The train is headed towards the Capitol. Now, do't get this confused with the capitol, Washington D.C. or in your case, New York City. We are heading towards a place that is unknown to almost everyone. The host of the 24th Minecraft Battle Game will choose a biome for the game. Now, hopefully it will be somewhere with lots of cattles, lots of plants, and a good place for shelter," he chuckled, "But who knows. You guys might end up in an ocean biome where you have no choice but dig while swimming. Remember that you are not invincible, you can and will at one point get hurt and might drown. Anyways, there should be a director to take us to the Main Room. In the meanwhile, let's just relax and wait for a while," Joshua said.

"Whose the other tribute that came from New York?" I asked curiously.

"Huh, you people just won't relax won't you? But about your question, I'm not sure. We will see at the Main Room," he answered.

"How do you know everything about this game? Have you been in it before?" I asked.

"Um..." he started to say.

Just then, the door opened and in walked a director.

"All set?" the director asked us.

"Yes," I replied.

"Follow me," he said as he turned to walk away. I was led to a large room. Inside there were a few people. "These are all the other tributes," Joshua said. He backed out the door. I looked around the room. The age range seemed to be 12 to 17. I looked back at the stage as the lights start to darken. The mayor in a black suit stepped on to the stage. His bright orange hair stood out.

"Greetings everyone! I'm Justin Grove. All of you guys will be competing in this year's Minecraft Battle Game!" he announced. Everyone stayed quiet, which wasn't surprising at all. "Each individual should have met with an introducer by now," he continued to inform, "Hopefully they told you most of the details of this battle. Next, I will assign tributes from the same states a mentor." Justin began to read off the tributes and their mentor. "Rhode Island, Lily and Nixon. Your mentor will be Owen…" I listened for New York. _Who will be my mentor?_ I wondered. _Hopefully it is someone who is fully experienced with this game. I want to win this and get back home, to my family._ _My family! What will Rick think when I didn't come back home that day? He's probably worried. And Autumn. Hopefully she saw my note, but she'll have no way to save me. Did I disappear from Earth? Or is my body still there…_ I shook my head. _There's no time for grief! What had happened is what had happened. I got to stay focused! _"New York, Sophie and Tomen. Mentor, Cameron…" The mayor continued to read of the list. "And last but not least, Maryland. Ayaka and Blaze. Mentor, Nick. Now you guys may meet together.

I walked around the room to find them. Someone tapped me on my right shoulder. Quickly, I turned around, expecting to see a tribute or the mentor. No one. I turned the other way. A boy, about the same age as me grinned.

"Ha! You fell for it!" he laughed. I looked at the boy with dark, curly hair. His brown eyes stared back at me.

"So you're Tomen?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"What do you think? Of course I am Tomen," he replied. I smiled.

"How did you get onto this game?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't really know. I was playing on the computer and I fell asleep. The next day I was here on the train. I don't really like this place. But here isn't much of a choice but to compete. I wish I can escape!" he said.

"Yea, same here. I was playing Minecraft on my computer when this zombie dragged me in. And the next day I'm here," I said back, "Don't like it here either." _Do they have the right to do that?To just take someone and force them to kill another? _I wondered. _I don't think so…so why haven't any winners from the past said anything about this? No one ever heard about this! Who gave the Capitol the control to take over our lives? The Capitol shouldn't have this right! This interferes with the eighth amendment from the Bill of Rights! I'm going to win this game! I have to. It's the only way to protect other people from the nation._

"Hey, you okay?" Tomen asked. I must have been staring blankly at the floor for too long.

"Yeah," I said.

"Do you want to be allies?" Tomen asked.

"Um..."

"Please? We all believe the same thing. We should form an alliance!"

I looked at him, unsure whether I could trust him or not. _But what if he isn't trustworthy?_ _What if he's a traitor?_ I thought to myself. Finally, I reached my decision. "No," I replied simply. I didn't want to form an alliance and having to kill them or watch them get killed. Now, I

"B-but" he stammered, "Then we should form a truce."

"Alright," I said after a slight hesitation, "If you don't kill me, then I won't kill you. Unless if it's the end."

"Okay. Thanks. I don't know about you, but I don't like killing people, especially people from where I came from. It just seems wrong," he whispered.

"So you're not going to kill anyone?" I asked.

He slowly nodded his head. "I will kill people, so I can get out of here as fast as I can. The faster other people die, the quicker I get to go home. But anyways, come on, let's explore this place!" He smiled again and ran ahead. After a meters, he looked back to see if I had followed. I sighed. Maybe he could be trusted. After all, all he wanted might just be an accompaniment.

"Where is our mentor?" I asked suddenly, remembering our real purpose to be here. The other groups had received their mentor and were already starting to train. We were the only ones without a mentor.

Tomen walked over to me. "Maybe we don't have one. Be right back, I'm going to ask someone." A few minutes later, he came back. "I don't know, but apparently we don't have a mentor. Blaze dissapeared somewhere."

"What?" I asked. I could not believe it. All the others have a mentor, everyone except us! _Now how am I able to survive? _I asked myself.

"Don't worry," Tomen said cheerfully, "I have been playing Minecraft for a long time. I'll teach you!"

"Thanks," I replied. Together we walked over to the training room. Tomen led me to a row of computers. He sat down in front of one and opened the Minecraft game. Motioning me to sit down too, I got a chair beside him.

"Alright. Here's how you play..." Tomen said as he began to teach me. I watched and listened to Tomen's instructions and advice. _Man. This is way harder than I thought. There is so much recipes that I have to remember. And so many facts about the enemies to remember,_ I thought. After listening for an hour, I decided I need a break from Minecraft. Not the game itself, but the nonstop staring at the computer screen. As I looked away, black dots invaded my vision. Shaking my head, I stood up.

"Let's take a break and try out some physical trainings. I'll practice climbing trees," I said.

"Okay. I will be practicing some other skills. Want to sword fight together later?" he asked.

"Fine with me." I walked away from the computers and to the place with a variety of trees. Taking a deep breath, I ran up to one and jumped. My hands reached out above me and grasp on a sturdy branch. Scrambling my way up, I managed to reach the top. I looked above me. More trees, more trees, about twice as tall as the one that I just climbed. _I can do this!_ Once again, I was gripping the tree, making my way up. I was almost at the top when a branch that was supporting my legs broke. Fear overcame me as I was left dangling in the tree. As I look down, I realized that I would injure myself if I fall. I looked back up again. _There must be a way to climb up. _Slowly, I wrapped myself around the tree trunk and inched down until my feet touched a reliable branch. Not letting go with my hands, I slowly added my weight onto the branch beneath me. It stayed._Yes! This will work._ I started to work my way back up again, carefully this time, and soon I was at the top. Smiling, I looked down once more. There were many skills that you can learn. _Everyone looked like spiders,_ I thought as I slid my way down the tree until my feet were placed onto the solid ground. I had never climbed that far up. _Maybe this game won't be so bad…unless if I died. I need more practice fighting,_ I decided, walking over to Tomen. "Want to go sword fighting now?" I asked.

"Okay. Just after I finish this set of throws," he answered. He was practicing throwing knifes. I watched in amazement. Every knife hit the target, whether it's moving or not.

"Wow. You have a really good aim!" I said. _Okay. Another note to self. Don't fight with Tomen when he has a knife. He'll kill you!_ I thought to myself. _I wonder what kind of abilities other people have._

"Okay. Let's go," he said as I followed him to the sword arena. I picked up a blue sword. It was perfect in weight and balance.

"I'll use this one," I said. Soon the battle began. He ran up to me and started slashing. I held up my sword and blocked every move.

"Your good at this," Tomen panted as he dropped his sword.

"I started sword fighting when I was in fifth grade," I said. "Anyways do you want to continue or do something else?"

"Continue. There's no point in switching now since there's only a few more minutes until lunch," he reasoned.

"True," I agreed. We started to fight again. The same thing happened. He slashing randomly with his sword, and me blocking every move. Soon, the clock rang twelve times, saying it's noon and time for lunch. Everyone stopped what they were doing and went into the lunch room. Tomen and I followed the others. The lunch room was huge. There were circular tables scattered around. At this point, it was obvious who was forming an alliance and who was playing solo. Estimating, there were about six tributes wanting to team up. All of them look strong and tuff. I gulped. "This battle is harder than I thought," I quietly said to Tomen.

Tomen nodded but didn't say anything. Instead he just went to get some food. I felt bad. I was sure that he still wanted to form an alliance with me. _Too bad. I'm going solo on this._ I thought but this time, I wasn't so sure. The line that I was standing was long. Patiently, I waited until it was my turn. Grabbing a sandwich and a bottle of water, I walked to an empty table and sat down. Tomen was no where to be seen. I started eating my food, not realizing how starving I was until now. _In the game, I have to find food too._ I thought. By now, I already had a to-do list in my head for the game. And the list just kept on getting longer and longer.

"Hey, can I sit next to you?" a tiny voice beside me said.

I turned around and saw a girl, no older than I was beside me. She had the same hair color as me and the same eye color. "Sure," I said making room.

"Thanks," the girl replied shyly. "So your Sophie?"

I glanced quickly at the girl. "How did you know my name?" I asked.

She shrugged. "In case if you haven't notice yet, most people know you."

I stared at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Look, they saw you sword fight just then. They know you are good at that. You have to be more careful." She saw how confused I was and explained on. "During training, practice stuff that you are bad at. That way, the other tributes won't know your tactics. Then when you show the game controllers, do the stuff that you are good at."

I was getting really confused. "Wait who are the game controllers? And when do I have to show them?" I asked. I had no idea why this girl was helping me but I figured this must be useful.

"The game controllers are the people who add stuff to the game. For instance, they can shoot fireballs at you or make the water flood. They try to make the game more interesting. You do realize that we are being recorded. They are using this for entertainment. Anyways, in a week, you will be privately performing what you can do to game controllers. They will rank you from one to thirteen. Thirteen being the best and one being the worst. Haven't your mentor tell you these facts yet?" she asked.

"We don't have a mentor. He disappeared somewhere," I replied sadly.

"Oh. Really? That is unusual. Ask me if you have any questions," she said helpfully.

"Thanks. Wait. I never happened to get your name," I said as I ate my food.

"I'm Lily," she said, "Lily Evergreen."

- x.X.x -

That night, I jumped into bed, feeling so exhausted. At lunch they had announced that there was going to be a opening ceremony. Each of us were given a stylist who will give us the clothes that we will wear tomorrow. Also, the following day, each of us will be interviewed with the game director, Micheal Dinks. All of this will be recorded and broadcasted among TV. _Now that I think about it, why haven't we ever seen one back at our homes. Was this just for the Capitol people to see it?_ I wondered. I turned around in bed. Slowly my eyelids felt heavier and heavier as I drifted off to sleep.


	3. More Exotic Members

**Sorry! This chapter is kind of short.**

**Also, in this fanfic, Tobi is Tobi. Not Madara or Obito or whoever you believe him to be.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

**First Person: Haruka**

Another day had passed, and I was actually enjoying my stay. I constantly reminded myself that they were wanted S-rank criminals and a threat to my village.

I was eating stale bread for lunch peacefully and wondering how the Akatsuki survive on it when I heard a loud bang. It was followed by a hoarse, childish shriek and more explosions.

"TOBI, YOU DUMB PEICE OF SHIT, UN. GET THE HELL BACK HERE!"

What was Deidara doing now? I wondered, feeling sorry for whoever Tobi was. The crashes and shrieks were getting closer and I frowned.

"T-Tobi is sorry! Tobi is a good boy!"

A man with a swirly orange mask burst through the entrance to the kitchen.

Lollipops!

That was the first thing that came to my mind.

Soon, Deidara appeared with a handful of clay, his face red with rage. He tried to grab the other man, but the man just slipped away. That was the last straw. Deidara threw the clay at Mr. Lollypop Face. He dove for the nearest cover, which was unfortunately me.

"KA-," He stopped in mid-phrase, noticing me for the first time. Apologizing quickly, he continued on his quest to murder Tobi (It was kind of obvious who Tobi was by now).

The squabble continued on, and I exploded. I had a short fuse, and it was a wonder that I had lasted this long. Standing up, I lashed out at them, which they promptly dodged.

"SHUT UP! Someone's trying to eat lunch here, if you haven't noticed yet. Go bother someone else or go somewhere else. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the base here," I scowled at them. Deidara seemed to take the hint, but Tobi bounced up to me.

"So you're the Haruka Deidara has been talking about! Tobi's name is Tobi! Tobi is pleased to meet you!"

Hesitantly, I shook the hand that was offered to me. "Pleased to meet you too..." I said.

"Yay! We'll be best friends now Haruka-chan. Tobi is a good boy!"

I couldn't help but grin. Who imagined that someone as silly as him was associated with the Akatsuki. Deidara glared at me. I returned it with an innocent look.

"What?"

"How could you not find that dumbass annoying, un?"

I shrugged and glanced over at Tobi who was currently watching a line of ants march across the floor. Luckily, he didn't hear the insult.

"By the way, how do you survive on plain bread?" I mentioned, frowning. Any sane person would've gone and bought actual food by now. "Forget it, you're coming with me. We need to get groceries! Wait, I need permission. Where is Pein?!"

"I don't think he'll let you, un. He doesn't even trust you, but you never know. Follow me, he's probably in his quarters, un."

Quickly, I scrambled up from my seat at the table and fell in step beside Deidara. So far, I liked him the best. Itachi was too quiet, Kisame was never around, Sasori seemed really cold-hearted, and Tobi was a hyperactive fool who could get very annoying. None of the Akatsuki I had met so far actually trusted me right now, but I felt comfortable talking with him.

As we rounded a corner, we came to an abrupt halt and nearly crashed into a bluenette.

"Deidara," she acknowledged. Then, her gaze settled on me. "You're Haruka, I assume?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I believe Pein wants to see you. Deidara can lead you to his office."

_Oh crap._

"I would answer all his questions if I were you, and don't anger him," she recommended, "Also, I'm Konan."

I nodded nervously and glanced down, noticing the plastic bags in her hand. Konan followed my gaze.

"Oh, I thought I'd get some actual food."

"Thank goodness, I was getting sick of bread," I replied with gratitude.

"I wouldn't be too glad, since this is all ramen," she stated flatly, "It was the cheapest thing on the shelf."

"But we're ninjas and we need nutrients!" I protested.

"Blame Kakuzu, that cheap bastard, un," Deidara snorted.

"Who?"

"You'll see..."

Konan coughed. Hastily, I grabbed Deidara's sleeve and continued on my way. When Konan was no longer within earshot, I muttered, "She's so cold..."

"She's always serious and rarely speaks, un."

Soon, we arrived in front of the wooden doors of Pein's office. Nervously, I knocked.

"Come in."

Slowly I pushed open the heavy doors and once again, found myself in front of the intimidating man.

"Good luck, un," Deidara murmured and left.

"Haruka," he nodded at me. I gulped and put on my blank facade. Wordlessly, I dipped my head slightly.

"As you know, the Akatsuki need a medical nin, and that is why you're here. Also, Itachi informed me that you use wind."

_Shit. So he figured it out, but what can I expect?_ I thought

"I expect you to work for the Akatsuki and I will not tolerate any suspicious behavior. Do anything suspicious, I guarantee that consequences or even death will await you," He narrowed his eyes, "Do you understand?"

It sounded more like a command than a question.

_Man, this was almost scary_, I thought, trying to resist the temptation to cringe under Pein's gaze.

"Yes, sir. I understand."

His eyes narrowed. He must have not trusted me because I sensed his muscles twitch. Tensing slightly, I prepared to defend myself from whatever was coming.

_Shit!_

Wasting no time, I whipped out my katana and managed to block the incoming attack. However, I was pushed against the wall and I saw another black blade curving down towards my leg. That's when I realized the chakra seal that Itachi had attached to me earlier was allowing me a tiny amount of chakra. I focused my chakra around my leg, creating a weak wind like barrier, since I was barely able to move in the position I was in. Pein hadn't expected that and it deflected the attack, but a third attack quickly came. I managed to shift a bit but the blade still grazed my thigh, cutting pretty deep. I gradually started to feel stiff. Forcing my chakra to the wound, I stemmed the blood flow.

_Chakra disruption blades_, I thought, cursing my luck. I hated them with a passion, since I always lost my chakra control to some degree. Plus, most of it was absent thanks to the seal. My control was the key to my healing and wind techniques.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered. Immediately, I was released and I stared at the menacing figure in front of me.

"Don't expect anyone to trust you for now. Also, I'm assigning you a mission."

My eyes widened slightly. Well, I certainly hadn't expected that, but I smirked on the inside. Finally, I was making some progress.

"Tomorrow, you will be going to Arashi Town with Itachi and Kisame near the border of the Land of Fire and The Land of Rivers. I have a spy who is currently staying there, and I need the scroll he has. The success of this mission is important and you will receive more details later. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Leader."

Pein raised his eyebrows slightly when I addressed him as "Leader." He then turned and headed back to his desk. I took this as a sign to leave. My entire body felt sluggish and I somehow wandered back to my room and laid down.

* * *

I woke up on the ground. Grunting, I got up and winced when pain shot up my leg. I glanced down and wrinkled my nose with distaste. The wound was covered with dried blood, and was turning slightly purple. After cleaning and healing the wound, I headed out of my room, with no destination in mind. At least I would have something to looked forward to now.


	4. Mission Commenced!

**Disclaimer: I do not own naruto.**

* * *

**Third Person**

She was running. She wasn't sure from what. The barren landscape ahead of her never seemed to end. She could see a house ahead, but it seemed to get farther and farther away. It was like she was running backwards, but her legs were moving forwards. Suddenly the ground gave away from beneath her.

She fell down, flailing her arms, trying to grasp something to stop her fall. There was nothing to grab. She landed on something soft, but it started moving. Spiders. They were all huge and loomed over her. She let out a soundless scream, terrified. One turned around and focused on her with its eight eyes. Her eyes widened. Pein's eyes.

Suddenly, the spiders were gone. She was in a grayish room. A single, black blade protruded from her stomach. Blood spread in a puddle around her.

_Do you understand?_ It echoed nonstop throughout the room.

She couldn't move and her head felt heavy.

"Make it stop..." She whimpered. The door opened. A black crow cocked its head and looked her in the eye. A red tomoe swirled dangerously. She screamed.

Haruka woke up abruptly. Sweat beaded her face and she was breathing heavily. The covers around her were cocooned around her body. Her arms asleep and it felt like pins and needles were being stuck into them.

_It was just a nightmare_, she reassured herself, the memories of the nightmare already fading. Haruka untangled herself from the mess, and got up groggily. Today she would be going on her first mission with the Akatsuki.

As Haruka got dressed, the alarm clock started buzzing. _5:30_. She had one hour to prepare. She brushed her teeth and then checked her weapon holsters, making sure they were packed. Then, she exited her room, heading towards the kitchen. When she got to the kitchen, Kisame was already there.

"Yo," she greeted.

"Hey."

A delicious scent drifted over. Quickly, Haruka strode over to the source of the smell, praying that her nose wasn't deceiving her. Cinnamon rolls! There were also a few doughnuts, so Haruka grabbed a maple one. She went over to the sink and filled herself a cup of water. Then, she headed back to the table and sat down with her breakfast.

"I was getting sick of the bread," Haruka stated with content as she bit into the sugary, calorie packed treat, savoring the taste.

"Yup, Itachi headed out this morning to get the food."

"Itachi?" Haruka asked with disbelief, "Why would someone like him do that?"

Kisame snorted, "He has a huge sweet tooth, and he brings back sweets once in a while."

Haruka shrugged and continued to consume the doughnut.

_We have just uncovered Itachi's weakness! _Inner gloated.

_Yeah sure, that'll be so much help,_ Haruka responded, distracted.

Today, she would finally be able to leave the gloomy Amegakure base. Even though she had been on numerous missions, she was anxious as if it was her first one ever. This one would probably be classified as a C or B rank, since it's point was to gather information. Most of the missions she carried out during the past few years were mainly A and S ranked ones. So why was she feeling this way? Her thoughts were interrupted when she bit into empty space.

Haruka was tempted to get another doughnut, but decided otherwise, since she was already full. She looked up when she heard footsteps. Itachi stood at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Yo, Itachi. Also, thanks for the treats," Haruka greeted. He tipped his head slightly in response.

"Well, if you are both ready, we might as well leave now," Itachi pointed out. "I will also deactivate the seal. Do not think about escaping, or Kisame and I_ will_ kill you." Haruka quickly checked her things again.

"'Kay."

* * *

When Kisame, Itachi, and Haruka exited the base from the basement of an old lady's bakery, it was pouring outside. As usual. Kisame and Itachi had straw hats that miraculously blocked out the rain. Grumpily, Haruka concentrated her chakra above her head, creating a barrier that served as an umbrella.

As the trio ran through the village, Haruka looked around, amazed. She had never personally seen Ame before, and she was unconscious when she came the first time. Tall towers loomed above her head, with complex networks of pipes and tubes surrounding the buildings. Everything was covered with a gray haze, thanks to the rain. She wondered how it could rain for so long in the village. But then, the winds usually blew north. South of Ame were the Lands of Wind, Rivers, and Fire. Back when Haruka was in Konoha, it didn't rain most of the year, and it probably rained once a year in Suna. It was logical that the almost year round sun caused a lot evaporation, which caused clouds to form, which were carried by the wind to Ame.

Lost in thought, Haruka did not see the gates until Itachi came to a halt. Kisame and Haruka stopped next to him. She started at the gates looming over her as they slowly creaked open, leaving a small gap, which allowed the shinobi to slip through.

They continued to run in silence, with rain pelting them from above.

After about an hour, Haruka decided to break the silence, "Where are we headed to? And how far away is Arashi Town?"

"There's a small lodging town nearby. We should arrive in about two hours more or less," Kisame responded, "We'll stay there for lunch and go over the details of the mission. After that, we'll go to Arashi Town, which is almost four days away from the lodging town. There's really nothing but barren land in between, with a few small towns. We'll probably have to spend two or three nights outside, depending on our pace."

"That sounds boring."

"You'll get used to it, but weren't you assigned long missions before?"

"I was usually given missions that were less than a two days away. But I used to do much more long missions when I was a genin and a chuunin. Well, at least back then, it was actually interesting, since I was more new. After a few years, landscapes get boring. And the people I traveled with actually talked," Haruka glared accusingly at Kisame and Itachi.

"We're shinobi. We're supposed to be silent," Itachi said quietly.

"You know what I mean," Haruka retorted. The group fell in silence again.

What Itachi said was true. Shinobi excel at stealth. Haruka sighed to herself. Of course, she had traveled for days without talking to anyone, but she hated it.

_I guess it's time to study the landscape again_, she thought to herself, but then grimaced when the gray haze of the rain blocked out anything to see.

* * *

Haruka was bored. She knew that this was the life of a shinobi, but she couldn't help but complain to herself. It had been almost two hours, and the lodging town was nowhere in sight.

Soon, the rain started to let up, and she could actually see now. A dark smudge appeared on the horizon, standing out against the green smudge of trees.

"Hey, Kisame."

"Yea?"

"Is that the town ahead?"

"It should be. How was the last two hours?" Kisame asked. Haruka grumbled, "What do you think?"

Soon, it was no longer raining. Haruka felt the ground sloping downwards. The trees gradually became more dense and Itachi jumped onto a branch. Haruka and Kisame followed Itachi's lead and they continued traveling above ground.

When they arrived at the outskirts of the town, Itachi silently signaled them to stop.

"We need disguises. They the townspeople will recognize us, especially me," he informed us. I nodded and quickly flew through the hand seals. This time, I was a black haired civilian with brown eyes. My hair hung just above my shoulders and I wore grayish blue clothes. This way I did not stand out. Kisame looked much more normal now, with dark gray hair that and dark brown eyes. Although his hair was in the same style as it was before, he did not look anything like a shark. Itachi had also transformed in a simple fashion. His now short, light brown hair shifted as a breeze blew gently.

"We're a few hours early for lunch, so we can walk around for a bit," Itachi continued, "We'll meet near that entrance at 12:00, and then we'll find a place to eat for lunch."

"Well? What are you waiting for? Lets go," Haruka said and jumped down from the tree. Itachi and Kisame did the same and they walked towards the entrance of the town.

It was a small town, but it was very crowded. It was hard to get around, since Haruka was disguised as a civilian. She couldn't jump onto the roofs and go that way. It wasn't long before she had lost sight of Kisame and Itachi, since she was the shortest of the group.

Haruka sighed, since she had planned on following one of them around, since there wasn't anything interesting to see. She couldn't sense their chakra, since they were disguised. Also, if she tried, then her cover would be blown, since she had spotted several other ninjas. They would sense her reaching out. She decided to wander around until she found them.

Shortly after, she reached a less populated area of the town. Haruka continued on her pointless search and wondered why she even cared.

"Where ya goin', young lady?"

Haruka turned around. Behind her stood two men who were probably. She decided to play along and replied timidly, "I'm on my way back to the inn, now if you'll excuse me..."

She turned back, continuing on her way but was pushed against a nearby house. Gritting her teeth silently, Haruka tried resist the temptation of kicking their asses. They leaned over her, smirking at their new catch.

"Don't cha leave now, we ain't be done with ya."

"What do you want?" Haruka whispered.

"Well well, ya look like them people with lots o' money. Now, hand it over quietly."

"I don't have any on me right now," she lied easily.

"Oh?" the other man threatened her, "Look, hand it over now and spare us the trouble. Or else we'll hurt your pretty face. And what are you thinking, lying to us like that? Now, we know you have money."

Now, Haruka was seriously fuming. She thought about Konoha and willed herself to tear up. Hopefully, she would somehow get out of this situation. She stuttered, "B-but I don't have any money..."

The two men snorted, seeing her teary-eyed expression.

"Fuck this, just search her pockets!"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them, "What do you think you're doing to her?"

Haruka looked up. _Kisame_. She flashed him a grateful look and cried out softly, "Otousan!"

One of the men spoke up, "Oh, so you be her papa? Well then, hand over ya money!"

"Or we'll kill you," the other added.

"Why should I listen to you?"

The two men's faces contorted with anger and they charged at Kisame. I smirked on the inside. They were like flies to Kisame. He could swat them away with no problem. However, I resumed my act and cried out, "Otousan! Just give them the money, I don't want you to get hurt!"

Kisame had obviously figured out that I was faking, and ignored me. He punched both of them in the face and they fell, clutching their faces in pain. One stared at Kisame, his eye starting to swell and turn purple. Blood was running from his nose.

"What are you?"

"Former shinobi. Don't you dare mess with my daughter next time."

He turned and I ran up to him.

"Why were you pretending?" He asked once no one was within earshot.

"Yeah," Haruka responded sarcastically, "A civilian girl, kicking ass in public. Sure sounds legit."

"By the way, your faking is almost unreal. If I hadn't known it was you, then I would've never guessed that it was a shinobi pretending to be a civilian."

"Yeah I guess. Acting skills is a useful thing to have," Haruka shrugged.

_Yeah, and that's how we got out of our village,_ Inner added. Haruka ignored her.

"Well, it's not noon yet, so you can continue walking around the town if you want," Kisame suggested.

"Sure. I saw this small weapon shop somewhere around here. I guess I'll go check it out, since I'm running low on some weapons and tools. I'm also looking for a new katana, since I lost my old one on a mission. The one I have now is a crappy replacement."

Kisame looked doubtful.

"What will they make of a civilian buying ninja weapons and tools?"

"Oh. Well that's okay, I'll just tell the shop owner that they're for my 'otouto,'" she said quietly to Kisame before heading off. "'Kay, see you."

Haruka wasn't really sure where the weapon shop was, so she just walked off towards the general direction and hoped for the best. She was in luck, and the shop came into view a few minutes later.

A bell ringed as she pushed open the door to the shop and entered. An old man looked up from where he was sitting behind a counter.

"Hello there. What can I help you with today?" He asked kindly.

"I've been looking for a sword, but I haven't been able to find one that fits my needs," Haruka responded. The old man nodded thoughtfully and gestured for Haruka to follow him. He hobbled towards the back of the shop. Haruka followed and her eyes widened slightly. She stared at the impressive display of swords and katanas arranged before her in silent fascination. There was a huge variety of blades; from short ones to long ones; from wide ones to narrow ones; there were also double edged swords. The man spoke up.

"You look more like a civilian than a shinobi. What do you need these for?"

Haruka nodded, "My otouto's birthday is coming up and he's a shinobi. I want to get him a better katana than the one he has now. He also asked me to pick up some supplies for him, since he has been really busy lately."

"Well then, I can help you chose the right katana. There are many katanas here that you can't find anywhere else. Like this one..."

He reached towards the collection of swords and retrieved one of the katanas. It didn't spark Haruka's interest and she unconsciously tuned out the old man's rambling.

Just then, a katana caught Haruka's eye. The blade had a darker tint than the rest and had the same basic shape as her old one. The old man did not miss her gaze settling on it.

"Ah yes! That is one of our few chakra blades. You can channel your chakra directly into it, if you have the control to do it. The blade will take on your chakra nature. This works especially well with wind nature, since wind will help it create a sharper edge. Fire and lightning work pretty well with it too, although I'm not sure if channeling earth or water chakra nature into it will give you too much of an advantage..."

She knew immediately that that was the perfect blade for her. After the old man was finished talking, she said, "Gramps, I would like to have this one. My otouto has an affinity for wind, so I'm sure that this blade will suit him better than any other one."

"Sure thing."

Haruka looked around the rest of the shop and collected kunais, shurikens, and other tools that she needed. She brought it all to the front counter where the old man and the katana were waiting.

"That will be 42,000 ryo total," He said after he was done calculating the price. As he sealed the purchases into a scroll, he said, "But since you're buying all that, and since the katana is for your brother's birthday, consider the katana a gift!"

Surprised, Haruka stuttered, "Ah well, b-but I can't take it! This katana is worth a lot!"

"It's alright, I don't mind."

"But it's worth even more than the rest of the stuff!"

"No no no, it's okay. I have a lot of customers, so it won't affect my income very much."

Haruka glanced around. Sure enough, the place seemed pretty busy. There were other customers waiting, so Haruka came to a decision quickly.

"How about this? I'll pay half of it. Just take it. You're being too generous," she dropped the money onto the counter, gathered her purchases, and turned before the old man could argue.

"Wait," he said, "I was wondering, why aren't you a shinobi? You seem to have so much potential."

_Because I am a shinobi_, Haruka thought to herself before answering sadly, "I wish I was. Before my otouto became old enough to become one, I was given a choice. I could either stay a civilian, or I could go to an academy to learn. However, we used to be very poor, so I gave up that up for the welfare of our family. I spent the time helping my kaasan out. Since my otouto is now a shinobi, we don't have to worry about money anymore, and it's too late for me to start. "

He nodded sympathetically. She had infiltrated villages as a civilian or disguised herself as one on past missions before. Nonetheless, she felt bad, with the lies flowing easily past her mouth, even though she had done it countless times in the past. Haruka waved and departed, tucking the scroll into the folds of her clothing. She headed towards the entrance she had entered through.

* * *

"Where are we eating, Itachi?" Haruka asked. Her stomach was growling, and she needed food.

"I found a sweet shop earlier," he replied, "We could get some dangos there."

"Come on, Itachi. You know that dangos make a tasty snack, but they aren't a good substitute for lunch," Kisame complained.

"I believe they sell bentos also."

After a while, a sweet shop came into view.

"Is that it?" Kisame asked. Itachi nodded. Haruka tugged on their sleeves and whined, "Hurry up, you two walk too slow and I'm starving!"

Her stomach growled in agreement. They picked up their pace to find a decently sized crowd beginning to form. Haruka groaned. This would take a while. She spotted an empty table near the back of the shop and hurried over to it. Itachi and Kisame followed. Kisame slid into the seat next to Haruka and Itachi sat across from them.

"We should've come earlier," Kisame sighed. A waitress hustled over and asked, "Would you three like some tea?"

"Yes, please."

After she left and then returned with their tea, Itachi spoke up.

"I will explain the mission details now." He pulled out a photograph and slid it over to Haruka for her to see. She studied it closely. On it showed a middle-aged man with white hair. He had a scar that extended from his right eye, all the way down to his chin.

"This is Ninomiya Torio. He has been collecting information on possible threats, such as other missing-nin, for Leader-sama. He wants us to gather the information that he has collected so far. Once we get to Arashi Town, we will need to find him. We have been informed that he is currently residing in an inn on 67th Street. Kisame and I will go and get the information, since there is a way to send it directly to Leader-sama. Haruka, you will guard the room, so that no one will disturb us. We might also need one of your barriers," Itachi paused as another waitress hurried over.

"Please excuse us for the wait. What would you like to order?"

After ordering our food, the waitress went back. Itachi continued.

"After gathering the information, we will head to the Akatsuki base in the Land of Rivers. We will wait there on standby until Leader-sama gives us another task."

Haruka nodded. After a few minutes, they received their lunch and ate in silence. When they finished, they departed immediately.

_Four more long days of traveling. Fun, _Haruka thought glumly.


	5. Ambush

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.**

* * *

**First Person: Haruka**

Our first day of travel concluded as the sky began to dim. Itachi stopped when we reached a small clearing.

"We'll stay here tonight. Any farther, we might not be able to find a convenient place for camp," Itachi said. Kisame and I nodded and set our belongings down. Itachi cast a genjutsu around the area, making the site blend into the forest. I helped Kisame build a fire in the middle of the clearing, and we scavenged nearby for cooking supplies for dinner. Itachi and Kisame caught a few wild rabbits, and I found herbs and some spices so the meal wouldn't taste like nothing.

As Itachi and Kisame started to cook dinner, I excused myself and wandered away from camp. I found a larger clearing. Satisfied, I built a barrier around the place. Then, I reached into my back pocket and drew out the scroll full of purchases from earlier. Opening the scroll, I placed it on the ground and put my hand on top of the seal within. I sent the tiniest amount of chakra into the seal, and the things I bought appeared along with a poof of smoke. I filled my weapon holsters and pouches with tools and supplies. After that, I unstrapped my katana from my back and placed it among the extras. Then, I replaced that with the new katana.

I sealed the old katana and the extra tools and supplies back into the scroll and slipped it back into my pocket.

Standing in the middle of the clearing, I gripped the new katana and drew it out of its sheath. It felt foreign in my hands, even though it was almost the same shape as the other one.

I tightened my grip on the katana and went through a series of basic sequences, each getting progressively more complicated. Once the katana felt comfortable in my hands, I decided to move up a step. I concentrated my chakra on the katana, and it was immediately surrounded by a blue coat.

Frowning, I recalled how another wind user, Sarutobi Asuma, also used chakra blades. I had gone on one or two missions with him, and I remembered him using those blades. Looking down at the sword, I noted its appearance. The blue coat of chakra was flowing around the blade smoothly, but Asuma's had appeared rigid and sharp.

Trying again, I closed my eyes and focused solely on the memory. I opened my eyes. It had improved slightly, but still not good enough. I decided to test it out. Taking long strides up to an unfortunate tree, I slashed. I felt the tree bark giving away. It was slightly easier than it would have been with a normal katana, but I was unsatisfied. It should've cut straight through like a plastic knife on butter.

The sword was lodged in the bark. Giving it a harsh tug, it came loose and I put it back in the sheath. Retiring for today, I undid the barrier and headed back the way I came. Kisame and Itachi would probably be done cooking by now.

Once I arrived back at camp, I found a bowl of rabbit stew sitting on an empty log near the fire. The other two were busily consuming it when I appeared. Kisame looked up briefly before digging back in. Heading over the log, I plopped down and picked up the stew. It looked unappetizing, but somewhat edible. Gingerly, I sipped a bit. It was kind of bland, but it tasted much better than I thought it would.

I tried to remember any bit of information that would help me with my chakra control with chakra blades. Nothing came to my mind. I knew that there was no hurry, since I could still use the katana fine without channeling my chakra into it.

Eventually, I decided to sleep. Itachi and Kisame were still awake, but I needed a break from the boringness.

"I going to bed," I muttered. Itachi replied with his signature "Hn," and Kisame nodded slightly.

I found my old ANBU cloak in a different scroll, and wrapped myself in it. Then, I lay down by the fire, falling asleep quickly.

I knew I shouldn't be so carefree around the Akatsuki, but for some reason, I felt completely safe.

* * *

I woke up breathing hard. My face was beaded with sweat and I grunted as I got up from the place where I had slept. I had another nightmare, but the memories were already disappearing as I became aware of my surroundings.

The fire that we had built last night was barely burning, with only a hint of smoke. Itachi and Kisame were already awake. Kisame handed me some bread and I apologized, "Sorry, I tend to sleep in."

"It's okay, we're slightly ahead of schedule anyway."

I was not an early bird, and will never be, but I could stay up way past midnight. I munched on the bread, which barely filled my stomach. After breakfast, we gathered our belongings. I used a simple doton jutsu and buried the remains of the fire. Then, Itachi deactivated the genjutsu and we headed out again.

* * *

**Third Person**

Haruka glanced sideways at Itachi. He caught her eye and nodded slightly. They were being followed.

She could feel faint chakra signatures closing in on them from all four directions. There were seven, no, eleven of them. Four were farther away, probably as backup, just in case the other seven were defeated. Itachi, Kisame, and Haruka continued moving forward, pretending not to notice. Soon, the chakra signatures were just several meters away.

"Now," Haruka muttered. Quickly, the three stopped abruptly and stood, facing different directions. Shinobi, garbed in black, emerged from the surrounding forest. Haruka's eyes flickered around. Their faces were covered, except their eyes. They had headbands; however, they had no village symbol on them. Haruka refocused on the two unmarked shinobi in front of her. They probably recognized Itachi and Kisame, but not her. She could already tell that they were already underestimating her.

"This area belongs to us," one of the shinobi spoke up. He was probably the leader of the group, "Anyone who trespasses shall be punished."

"We're just passing through. We mean no harm." Itachi said quietly.

"Your cloaks. You're from the Akatsuki. It would be silly of us to believe your lies."

Haruka sensed one of the shinobi's muscles tense. She was listening to the exchange, but that didn't mean she wasn't keeping an eye on the other shinobi. Suddenly, just as Haruka predicted, he lunged towards her. He was fast, but not fast enough to catch her off guard. She easily deflected the attack and kicked the shinobi away from her. The others charged. Haruka turned to her right, ready to fight, but her foot was stuck. The shinobi she had kicked had collapsed inward.

A mud clone, she thought. He had bound her to the tree branch she was on. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another shinobi coming at her. He slashed at her, cutting clean through her torso. Turning, he prepared to attack Itachi, who was nearby.

He was stopped, however, when a kunai sprouted from his chest. He looked down with horror at the blade, buried at least three inches in his flesh. As red blossomed around the newly inflicted wound, he dropped off the tree branch, landing head first on the forest ground below.

"That takes care of one," Haruka smirked, "Never turn your back to your enemy."

* * *

Kisame fended off the attacking shinobi easily, but was caught off guard when he saw Haruka get cut in half. Then, it turned into a log, feeling slightly relieved, he turned back to the enemy. A fist bounced off his stomach.

"This isn't even exciting," Kisame stated blankly. The shinobi who had punched Kisame flew, crashing through the trees when his blow was returned. Another shinobi took the other's place. He drew out a tanto and slashed at Kisame. Kisame easily deflected it and kicked. Hearing a satisfying crunch, he turned towards the next one. There was none, and he proceeded to watch the others.

Itachi was taking on three at once on the ground below, expressionless. They were all frozen in place, staring blankly ahead, caught in Itachi's genjutsu. He delivered swift blows to all of them, and they crumpled to the ground.

Haruka was still fighting the last shinobi. He was probably the strongest of the group, and a doton user. Haruka could also use doton, although it was nowhere near as skilled as his. Also, her wind nature chakra wouldn't help much against it. She dodged a kick and jumped back, going through series of seals

"Fuuton: Wind Dragon's Breath," she said under her breath. Then, she took a deep breath and exhaled. A gust of wind emerged from the small opening in her lips.

The other shinobi slammed his palms onto the ground and an earthen wall erupted from beneath the ground.

Haruka's wind jutsu was blocked, and he prepared the next attack. Before he could cast anything, he let out a strangled cry and collapsed as a blade went through his heart. The Haruka that had cast the jutsu dissipated. It was a shadow clone.

The real Haruka stood next to dying man and pulled her sword out of the to be corpse, shaking the blood off. She slid it back into the sheath. The seven were defeated, but there was more to come. They were trailing behind, obviously trying to gain advantage by taking the three by surprise. For now, Itachi, Kisame, and Haruka decided to continue traveling until the enemy caught up.

* * *

Haruka, Itachi, and Kisame continued jumping from tree to tree while keeping track of the four shinobi trailing behind them. They didn't seem to have any intention of catching up, but Haruka still refused to let herself relax. Her instinct suggested that they could be distractions also, while the real threat was laying low.

It wasn't long before a kunai flying out of nowhere proved her right. Out of habit, she ducked, dodging the kunai that was aimed at her. Then, another one came. She dodged again, but the third one that followed was too fast. Haruka whipped out a kunai to block it, but as they made contact, her's broke. Luckily, the other one was slowed down slightly. A blue glow faded as Haruka caught it.

_Chakra blades,_ she thought, _So our enemy knows how to use them_.

Haruka felt that Itachi and Kisame had stopped also, fighting their own enemies. Jumping down to stable ground, she concentrated intensely on her surroundings. It worried her that even she could not sense her attacker. A sudden movement to Haruka's left caught her attention. A kunai surrounded by chakra flew towards her. She swiftly sidestepped the attack and concentrated anywhere but the place the kunai came from. Her attacker was trying to mislead her, and she would not fall for it.

There! Haruka spun around on her heels, sensing a tiny flare of chakra, and sent a shuriken whizzing towards the source. Now that she pinpointed her target, it was easier to track him. He moved to her left. Quickly, she attached a paper bomb to a kunai and threw it at him. She heard a thunk as it was lodged into a tree trunk. She formed a hand seal and the paper bomb exploded. Debris and chunks of burnt wood filled the air.

The attacker was not caught in the explosion, since he emerged from the shadows of the trees seconds later.

"You're better than I thought you would be," he commented, "But you're not good enough."

"Oh?" Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"Since you're the weakest, I might as well kill you first before moving on the your friends," he said.

"If you kill me. But you shouldn't underestimate me you know," she responded.

"Why should I be afraid of you? You're just a kunoichi."

Haruka snorted, "Wow. Way to be sexist. Well then, what are you waiting for? Don't blame me if you end up dead."

Charging forward she threw a punch at her attacker, then dropping down as the punch was returned. She turned her back at him and kicked upward, only to have her foot caught. Seeing his heel descending towards her spine, she rolled forward. He let go to prevent himself from being pulled along, and his foot hit the ground, inches away from Haruka. She drew her hand back, glowing green, and jabbed at his feet. Missing, she stood up, but then jumping out of the way of a swift kick. She winced slightly, as she felt his hand hit her, just below her rib cage. Haruka concentrated some of her chakra there as she felt one of her ribs giving away.

_Goddammit!_ She cursed as the other shinobi's lips curled upward when a crunch was heard. Applying more chakra, Haruka substituted herself with a nearby clone to give herself a moment longer to heal. She was interrupted when a sharp whistling alerted her ears. Just in time, she jumped onto a different branch. There was a solid THUNK as the kunai that was aimed at her embedded itself into the branch she was previously on. It wasn't as much extra time as she hoped for, but it still helped. Feeling much better, thanks to her fast healing skills, she prepared to defend herself against more attacks.

The man who was attacking her was standing several meters away. Haruka shifted her feet slightly into a more ready stance. Suddenly, a blur of movement caught her eye. The man standing before her a few seconds ago was gone. Instinctively, she turned suddenly to her left, catching a fist in her left hand. Using her momentum, she swung her leg out, catching him on the side. He slipped off the branch, but quickly regained his balance, landing neatly on the ground below. Haruka pushed off of the branch, head first, gathering her wind chakra in her palm. It created a turbulence as she crashed onto the enemy. He barely managed to escape her blow, but she felt his foot beneath her hand. A warm, sticky feeling covered her hands. Even though Haruka had finally drawn blood, there was no time for celebrating. She watched through narrowed eyes at the man before her. He did not seem very bothered about the wound.

"I'm surprised you actually made it that far," he spoke up, amused. Haruka glared at him. This time, he charged forward, producing a kunai from a pouch. It was glowing. Haruka took out her sword just to be safe and blocked the attack. The attacks started getting faster and more intense, but she wasn't anywhere near backing down.

Eventually, at one point, Haruka retreated from the taijutsu fight. It was getting nowhere. She would have to take it to a new level. Jumping back, she prepared to cast her jutsu.

A curtain of wind gradually surrounded Haruka as she sent her chakra outwards, blocking out all external objects.

"Fuuton: Uncanny Wind Technique," she whispered under the howl of the wind.

Meanwhile, the man watched through slitted eyes, clothes flapping in the wind. Suddenly, it came to a stop. Haruka was nowhere to be seen. He gasped in shock as something hard came in contact with the back of his head. Whipping around, he got ready to strike, but was met with nothing but empty air.

Haruka landed several more blows, but not yet satisfied at the bruises beginning to form on the man.

However, he soon figured out her attack patterns after being hit so many times. It was harder for Haruka to land a blow now, even though she was faster. Her arm flew towards his body, but missed as he sidestepped. The enemy tried to grab her wrist to restrain her movements. His grip latched on to an arm, but it dissolved into a scathing wind, cutting anything within a few inches. He drew back his now bloodied hand, and concentrated on a way to defeat the kunoichi.

She was way better than what he had expected. And she had such a small amount of chakra compared to him.

Concentrating even further, the man reached out, probing to surrounding air for any residue of chakra. Even a small trace could lead to something. His eyebrows drew together slightly as he frowned. There was more than one chakra signature. He suspected they were clones. Deciding it was time to begin his counterattack, he focused. The man felt a small movement nearby, indicating Haruka's intentions.

He lashed out, half expecting to come in contact with something. It did, however, before he could celebrate his miniscule accomplishment, it dissipated. Whatever it was, probably a clone, was replaced by smoke. A woosh of air notified the man of another incoming attack, barely managing to duck. The man jumped away, flipping backwards as a blade of wind cut through the air where he had been moments before.

More wind blades were hurled at the man, but they all missed as he dodged. He was beginning to feel a bit of strain on his muscles, after dodging and ducking so many attacks.

Meanwhile, Haruka was no better. She never had a large chakra supply to begin with, and was tiring at a faster rate than her enemy. As she floated around in the air, invisible to anyone but her, she began gathering her chakra.

_This better work_, Haruka thought, annoyed. The fight was dragging on too long for her liking. She prefered to get over things quickly, unlike her relatives, who enjoyed torturing and tormenting their victims.

She knew that her enemy sensed her immediately. Her chakra was flared to a great scale, and his suspicion was written all over his face. As soon as enough chakra was gathered, Haruka abruptly sent a vigorous wave of chakra at the man. It was similar to her earlier attacks, but pumped up with a massive amount of chakra. The man tried to dodge, but her attack was lightning fast. As a last moment attempt to save himself, he brought his arms up as a shield. That was not enough, and he was thrown backwards, through an entire line of trees. Haruka heard a sickening crunch and watched the trees fall, feeling the earth shudder as the huge trunks met the ground.

Tired, Haruka released the jutsu, returning to the ground.

"Haah," she sucked in a breath as her knees nearly buckled under her. After recovering, she walked forwards towards the place where the man lay dying. Drawing her sword and channeling in some chakra, she got ready for the finishing blow.

"I'll make this quick," Haruka stated flatly, "Any last words?"

She didn't give the man a chance to say anything, and brought the sword down, but she still heard him murmur, "Never thought I'd fall to a goddamn kunoichi."

Haruka felt the sword cut through the enemy shinobi like bread. Metal grated against bone, causing her to wince at the sound. She averted her eyes, not really wanting to see the gushing, dark crimson liquid. Feeling drops of warm drops of blood land on her face, she reached up and wiped it away. The life force of the to be corpse ebbed away, and soon, Haruka was standing alone. She used the barest amount of chakra to burry the blood soaked corpse underground using a simple doton technique.

She jumped up onto the branch ahead, plopping down near a cluster of tree leaves. Running the bloodied sword through the leaves, she cleaned off the blade, and used that time to recover as much chakra as she could.

Done cleaning, she slid the sword back into the sheath, and headed in the direction of Itachi and Kisame's chakra signatures without glancing back.

* * *

Itachi and Kisame were done fighting long ago. They had sensed that the enemy Haruka was fighting was on an entirely different level than their opponents. Kisame, truthfully, was disappointed. The shinobi that he had fought wasn't the strongest ever, but was much better than the weaklings that confronted them earlier. He wanted a stronger opponent. Also, he was slightly worried that Haruka might get herself killed, but Itachi wanted to see if she could last or not.

The two had to admit, they did feel relieved when Haruka returned, covered with drops of blood and winded, but still somewhat okay. After an abnormally large flare of chakra, Kisame had been ill at ease. He knew about her scarcely above average amount of chakra. What if she died of chakra exhaustion? Pein had specifically ordered,_ "Don't let her die. Unless you want to be punished. I'll make you_ _understand _real_ pain."_

And so they sat down to rest after she had returned, mainly for her. Haruka had a broken rib that wasn't completely healed yet, and she was low on chakra. She kept on complaining that they were worrying for nothing, and that they could continue on their way since she could heal herself along the way. Her protests were ignored, and she sat down on the ground hesitantly.

After at least ten minutes, Haruka got impatient, "Let's just hurry and go! I'm fine, I swear! We were ahead of schedule, but got delayed, so what if we're behind now? I'm itching to move now, and sitting here healing is NOT going to help!"

Sensing Haruka's crappy mood, Itachi agreed silently. She was right. They were beginning to fall behind schedule. The trio got up, and continued on their long and almost boring travels to Arashi Town.

* * *

**Sorry this one took so long! And I might not be able to update once a week, since I'm a slow writer xD**

**Also, I seriously suck at action scenes and I always get stuck... so basically for the last few weeks, I've been writing a paragraph a day, literally :/ after the fighting, it was SO much easier to write!**


	6. The Cursed Village?

**Disclaimer: i do not own naruto in any way, sadly :c (except for my OC's!)**

* * *

**(Third person)**

Haruka was not in a good mood. After being ambushed by multiple shinobi, she had hoped that it would be over and that would end there. But no! A thick area of trees and thorny vines and stuff just had to grow in their way and it was virtually impossible to cross via tree hopping, as she liked to call it. They had cut through the undergrowth, getting scraped at bruised, until Haruka just cut everything up around her by releasing a blast of scathing wind. Of course, Itachi and Kisame weren't too happy, after being scraped, too. They had continued until Haruka got caught in some random bog that just had to be hidden by grass. After struggling for hours, it seemed like, the two other shinobi managed to pull her out. Although it was mainly Kisame who helped. But then he got stuck too. Imagine that. Two former Konoha ANBU and the wielder of _the_ Samehada, stuck in a mud bog! Haruka felt she was just being a hindrance to the other two. She was low on chakra, muddy, annoyed out of her mind, and spacing off. Of course she was keeping an eye on her surroundings, but you can't expect her to not crash into someone when they just suddenly stop after moving at what, 60 miles per hour? That was definitely an exaggeration, but still. Especially when they're right in front of her. Rubbing her now sore nose, Haruka glared up at the offending back of a certain shinobi named Itachi.

"What?!" she asked crossly. Itachi turned around, staring at her blankly.

"We're lost."

For a second, all of Haruka's anger drained away. She gaped at him. Then it slammed back in full force.

"Are you _fucking _kidding me?" she managed to growl out. Kisame backed away wisely. Kunoichi were scary when they were mad. "You. _The _Uchiha Itachi got lost? Yes, we all get lost sometimes. But still who would imagine that _you _would? Well then, what now?"

Itachi continued, ignoring her outburst, "Kisame had the map." He looked at Kisame, who gulped. "It wasn't very clear, seeing how it was dropped in the mud from earlier."

Haruka sighed in exasperation. "There's a small town, a few minutes back. I'll go ask around. Where are we heading before going to Arashi Town?"

"Yasu Village."

Before the two could stop her, she was gone. She headed towards the town that she had mentioned. Of course, something had to go wrong. Again. Haruka entered the small town, under the disguise of a civilian, as usual. There weren't many people around. Just a few, here and there. She walked around, looking for an inn or a restaurant, preferably a bar, where there would be more people. Haruka walked faster, hoping that she would find one soon. She couldn't lose any time, or they might arrive late. They were already lost! Luckily, it was only their second day of traveling, but they were supposed to arrive in Yasu Village around dinner time. She slowly came to a stop. Arashi Town was at least another 2 days away. The map was smudged. It was their best bet to get to the right town, not just some random place. There was a chance that the people of this village would give them wrong directions. Not many people ended up at a random village in the middle of nowhere. And plus, after getting to Yasu Village, assuming that they actually got there, how would they get to Arashi Town without proper directions? Haruka sighed. Whythe _hell_ did she even care?

Voices coming from nearby aroused Haruka from her thoughts. Perfect! It was a bar, and it was pretty crowded too. Surely there would be someone who could give her instructions. She ducked into a dark alley in between two buildings after checking if there was anyone around and changed her appearance again. She was now a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. Walking into a place filled with drunk men wasn't a good idea for a civilian woman. She, or rather, he, continued deeper into the alley, and emerged onto a street he was on previously. Haruka went back to the bar. He entered, and was hit by the pungent odor of alcohol. He cringed. Haruka never liked the smell of alcohol in the first place. Walking over to where the bartender was, he sat down with a sigh.

"What can I get you, sir?" The bartender asked. Haruka blinked. He was unfamiliar with alcohol, since he was underage anyway, not like it mattered in the shinobi world.

"Umm... Anything, really. Just not too strong I suppose."

A glass was placed in front of Haruka a moment later, and he stared at the unappetizing, yellowish liquid.

"Excuse me? Do you know any place called Yasu Village?" Haruka asked the bartender politely. He noticed the bartender's shoulders tense as he slowly turned towards him. The room had gone eerily silent.

"Why do you ask?" He asked, voice strained.

"I'm just visiting a friend there, and I'm kinda lost," Haruka laughed nervously, trying but failing to lighten the mood.

"Stay away from that... that _place_," the bartender replied in a low voice, "And don't mention it ever again."

Haruka frowned, confused. The chatter in the room gradually continued, but it was hushed. Haruka could see people glancing sadly at him and others looking pained. A light tap on his shoulder caused him to turn. A cloaked figure was walking away from him. Haruka saw the person turn his, or her, head a bit, gesturing him to follow. He dropped a few coins next to his untouched drink and followed the person out of the bar, into fresh air. He continued to follow the figure. Any normal person would have lost sight of person as it ducked behind a building. It was a shinobi, probably. However, Haruka saw and followed the person into the dark place.

"I know you're a shinobi. You don't have to hide it," a raspy, but definitely female voice called out quietly. Haruka stood in front of her, frowning slightly. The woman promptly threw back her hood. She looked well past her prime, with graying hair and a wrinkled face, although she still seemed pretty healthy.

"How'd you know, and are you a shinobi?" he asked.

"I can tell. And yes."

Haruka raised an eyebrow, "Even when you're really good at hiding your chakra?"

The woman looked at him, "I can't sense your chakra, but I can tell through the way you act. When you walk, your feet make no sound at all, unlike a normal civilian. Not everyone can see, but I can feel you keeping an eye on everything. I can infer that you're a trained shinobi."

"I guess I'll have to pay more attention," Haruka muttered.

"Oh and by the way, you can release your transformation. I sensed a chakra flare earlier, which I think was a transformation from you."

Haruka looked at the other kunoichi incredulously. He knew she was not just any shinobi. How could she tell? He was sure his cover would be blown if he released the transformation. He hadn't seen any sign of any news that new missing-nin from Konoha was on the loose, but he was sure the news would reach this small town soon enough. Debating whether or not to release the transformation or use another transformation jutsu, Haruka nodded. He 'released' the jutsu. 'His' form flickered and returned to his (or should I say, her) previous form that she entered the town in. Haruka had figured out how to transform without any hand seals or smoke, so hopefully the other kunoichi would never know that she had transformed instead of released.

The kunoichi looked mildly surprised, "And here I thought you weren't a kunoichi. Anyway, I'm Yuri, just a shinobi who's keeping an eye on this village. I heard you at the bar. You want to get to Yasu Village, am I right?"

Haruka nodded, "But why did the bartender tell me to stay away? Did something happen between the two towns? And why are you helping me?"

"You're on a mission, right? People rarely visit this area, unless it's a mission. I personally believe that shinobi should help their fellow shinobi. The five great nations is a foolish idea, since all the villages are separated. Anyway, it's said that Yasu Village has a curse. Anyone who steps inside that village are confined there forever. Those who try to get out... well, they're always found brutally murdered, with no trace of who did it."

Haruka couldn't help but snort, "Well, that's ironic. **(1)**"

Her eyes saddened, "This has happened for about 10 years now. This town and Yasu Village used to be very close. Many people had family from both town, and were happy, until _that _started. No one knows what exactly is happening. I'm the only person who has gone in and made it out alive during this period, but with deep injuries. I was wondering, can you go and see if you can figure out what happened?"

Haruka didn't know what to say. They had a mission to carry out and couldn't waste time investigating things like that. They could just stay outside for another night.

"Well, I'm kind of short on time here, and I don't know what my other comrades will say. I'll see what I can do. Do you have a map?"

Yuri nodded and handed Haruka a yellowed sheet of paper. Haruka unfolded it and scanned the sheet for her destination. There! It was just an inch or so away from where she was now on the map and Haruka realized that Itachi had strayed off of the right path.

"Thanks. Also, do you know of any Arashi Town?"

Yuri nodded again and pointed at a barely noticeable dot at the very edge of the map. Quickly, Haruka shunshined away after thanking Yuri again. She had to hurry, since she had used up at least half an hour here.

Haruka found Itachi and Kisame, after she nearly fell off a cliff. She just had to shunshin right there at the edge, thus leading her to tumble off before grabbing onto a rock protruding from the cliff face using chakra. Sometimes Haruka wondered how the heck she had ever obtained the title of an ANBU captain. Anyway, Haruka found them and sat down. Itachi looked at her expectantly.

"Well, it turns out that Yasu Village is 'cursed.' Apparently you'll die if you try to leave the village," Haruka snorted, "Yeah right. A curse? Something's obviously fishy here, and we don't have the time to investigate. But the person who gave me this map wanted to me to help them. Well? What now?"

"We take a detour, obviously," Kisame replied.

"There's _civilians_ there."

"Get used to it," Itachi spoke up, "We're missing-nin. We don't live in a place where you can do as you please."

"Well then, at least let me send a clone or something. I've got barely enough chakra to spare to make a shadow clone right now."

"We don't live in a place where you can do as you please," Itachi repeated.

"Well, I _just_ defected from Konoha! I know I'm a missing-nin, but letting civilians be harmed when I can do something about it doesn't sit right with me."

Itachi looked at Haruka. She remained stock still under his intimidating gaze, glaring back. For a second, she thought she saw something flash in Itachi's emotionless gaze. It was gone in less than a second, as if it was never there. She dismissed it.

"Hn."

"Fine then. I don't speak Uchiha, but I'm assuming that's still a no," Haruka dropped her glare reluctantly and handed Itachi the map, "Let's get going then."

Itachi turned towards the direction they were heading, and set off again. Haruka followed, with Kisame close behind. Well, no matter, she'll just have to make a clone later. Looking up, Haruka squinted at the sun, trying to tell the time with all the tree branches blocking her way. It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, she estimated. They had skipped lunch, and her stomach was growling. Haruka frowned to herself. She could always eat way more than the average shinobi, and got hungry easily too. Like that Uzumaki kid she'd always see at Ichiraku's literally inhaling ramen. She wasn't fat, or exactly skinny either. No, she was not going starve herself like most teenagers did just for looks, and plus the heavy toll of being a high ranked shinobi left her with well toned muscles and barely any fat. Luckily, her stomach was hardened against hunger, due to all her long missions as an ANBU. Reaching inside her weapons pouch, she took out a brownish soldier pill and popped it in her mouth. She hated them with a burning passion! They had no taste at all, and reminded her of eating sand (not like she'd even eaten any), and left a dusty aftertaste in her mouth. Maybe she could ask her teammate to make some ones that actually tasted like something... No! She wasn't going to think of them, much less consider ever going back. Haruka would be stuck with the Akatsuki for eternity, most likely, unless she got brutally murdered by them, or maybe if the Akatsuki were defeated by a miracle of some sort. Most of the fatigue and hunger that had been bothering Haruka slowly started to melt away as the tasteless pill started to take effect. Hopefully they would be able to eat something for dinner.

As the group continued to travel in a comfortable-not-really silence, Haruka pondered the skills and abilities of the Akatsuki that she had already met. So there was the infamous Itachi, the shark like Kisame, Deidara the loud blond (again reminding her of Uzumaki for some reason), the 'holy' (since he must be filled with holes from all those percings, and he acted like he was Kami) Pein, Sasori and... was it Conan? Or Konan with a K? Oh, and there was that loud lollipop face named Tobi. Haruka loved his personality, I mean, who wouldn't find that energetic, bundle of energy unlovable? Well, Deidara obviously hated him since he was, Haruka had to admit, annoying. He was practically a three year old in the body of a... how old _was _he? It was impossible to tell through the orange mask of his. A possibility stuck Haruka in the face. What if he was like 50 years old or something? That would be really weird. Anyway, despite Tobi's innocent appearance, something just did not sit well with Haruka. Whenever she was near him, deep down, her instincts would tell her to RUN! She would figure out the mystery that was Tobi later. And hopefully not get killed attempting that.

So there was Itachi from Konohagakure. Born a prodigy, and became an ANBU captain at age thirteen on top of that! And plus, he had massacred his _entire_ clan, except his brother, by himself. The famed Uchiha clan had fallen to one thirteen year old prodigy that bloody night. He was probably around seventeen or eighteen by now. He was one year younger than Haruka, and way stronger, no doubt. Haruka knew that there was no way she could take on Itachi single handedly, much less the entire Akatsuki. Plus, he had that legendary sharingan.

Kisame was from Kirigakure, as indicated on his headband. He was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Haruka had heard a vague description of them. They were powerful shinobi. However, she was sure that Itachi could take Kisame on in a fight and win. He had that bandaged sword of his, called the Samehada, which was one of the legendary swords of the swordsmen. She had no idea what it could do, except that it shredded instead of sliced, so taking on Kisame in a fight was definitely not very wise. Taking on any of the Akatsuki wasn't any wiser. Unless you were a legendary Sannin like Tsunade or Jiraiya.

There was also Deidara from Iwagakure, and appeared to be the friendliest. She recalled his mouth-hand thingys. For a second, she wondered if they lead to his lungs or stomach. Haruka made a mental note to ask him later. She had heard of those hand-mouths, which existed only in Iwa as a kinjutsu. It allowed the users to knead chakra into any material. Haruka wasn't sure about the use of that until she encountered Deidara in their sparring session. He had somehow gotten the clay to be loaded with chakra, using the kinjutsu, and turned them into bombs, which was very useful in battle. She knew that Deidara was probably one of the weaker Akatsuki, no offence to him, since he specialized in long-ranged combat. He wasn't great at taijutsu, but was decent; however, that would lead to his defeat. It was definitely hard to get past his defences, but if a skilled close-range shinobi could, well then, it was over for him.

She did not know much about Pein or Konan, other than the fact that Pein was from Amegakure, assuming that his headband was right, of course. Haruka wondered if she could use some kind of strong electromagnetic to attract the piercings on his face, assuming she could somehow obtain a raiton jutsu for it... But she was sure that absolutely would not work unless no one else had ever thought of it, and that was unlikely. He must be the Akatsuki leader for a reason! Konan, she knew absolutely nothing about.

Haruka did not know what Sasori could do. She knew that he was a puppet master from Suna, having heard of him before. He was usually hidden inside that one puppet, name Hiruko, according to Deidara. Haruka wondered what unleashing termites could do against Sasori. The puppets were controlled by chakra strings, so if Haruka unfortunately had to fight him, she could severe them, although that wouldn't do much good against the master of puppet techniques.

She didn't know how many members were in the Akatsuki. She heard Deidara mention that Tobi wasn't officially a member and she didn't know if Orochimaru was still with the group or not. Haruka shivered. That man was creepy and she certainly hoped he was gone. On the second though, Deidara _did _mention about Orochimaru's leaving, but she couldn't trust anyone. So Tobi's case could be a lie, too.

Haruka and the two other shinobi continued to travel in silence. After a few hours, they stopped to take a short break. Haruka jumped into the bushes nearby to 'do her business' but instead traveled farther away from ItachI and Kisame. She found a tall tree to climb and made her way up, appearing at the very top a second later. Observing the surrounding landscape, which was thankfully flat, Haruka looked around for any signs of Villages. According to the map, it should've taken a few hours, more or less, to go from that town to Yasu Village. That means they probably passed the village already. She glanced around quickly, taking in any details. Off to the side in the general direction from where they came from, was a barely noticeable splotch against the trees. It was slightly misty around this area, even though it was quite warm out, and Haruka could see a patch of white where the mist probably came from. Something wasn't right here. She could tell it was the village from the way trees were missing there, and the dark aura that seemed to hang around the area. Haruka took note of this and jumped down, deciding she still needed more chakra for a good shadow clone. It would be best to make when when everyone was asleep. Haruka had a good sense of direction, too, so she could tell if the group would have any change in direction.

All that took a minute, but Haruka wasn't sure if the other two had noticed or not. Not like it mattered to much. Nothing would stop her from protecting innocent civilians. Unless it was a threat to her new reputation as a missing-nin. But then, Haruka had a logical explanation to defend herself with.

When it finally started getting dark, Itachi signaled them to stop. They quickly set up camp, and made dinner with a few unlucky squirrels. It was time to sleep. Haruka offered to take first watch and sat down as the two men got ready to sleep.

After a good one hour and a half, Haruka set her plan into motion. She made sure that Itachi and Kisame were asleep before heading deeper into the forest. Haruka brought her hands up for a seal. Normally, she wouldn't need one, but this shadow clone was different. It could take a few direct hits without proofing out of existence, and it seemed real. It could fight, although using ninjutsu was risky, since the clone depended on chakra to survive. It would drain the chakra Haruka put into the technique until it was gone. Too bad the longest it could last was two days, maximum. Haruka wished she had more chakra. The clone would have to work fast. There was a small 'pop' and the clone appeared next to Haruka as she felt her chakra level drain drastically. She nodded, and the clone headed off. She went back to the makeshift camp and sat back down.

* * *

**Hi! No cliffies this time. Sorry if this chalter was kinda boring.. and sorry for the long wait :c i was distracted... with life. My updates won't have any pattern to it really, and i cant guarantee that ill update every week or every few weeks or something. I've got a REAALLY short attention span so yea. i'll get motivated, and then lose it in like, a week, and then i'll start again. I've been doing Chinese hw lately. TT_TT I WAS going to do chinese 2, but then its at the same time as band, sadly, so i got moved up to chinese 3. I can read and speak it and stuff, but i have tons of trouble writing, so im pretty worried. So basically, in 30 days, I'm doing to entire Chinese 2 curriculum. I'm on day 27 :D And that means homework too, plus the usual SUMMER hw... hopefully I'll be prepared enough for chinese 3 :) I've also rerealized (yes, thats a word. in my dictionary c; ) that books can turn addictive. trust me. so yea, i end up reading at least 4 hrs per day. AND that includes fanfiction OF COURSE! Anyway, im done with my rant :D.. or not. **

**No, im not japanese, im chinese, so i have NO knowledge of japanese words or meanings in ANY way... except maybe a few insults ;).. so i usually just end up with a random word and translate using google translate xD or i use a random japanese name generator.. I'm not sure if names for people can be used for town or city or village or whatever names though**

**Arashi- Storm**

**(1) Yasu- Peaceful, peace (Since the ppl were murdered..)**

**Oh btw, this takes place pre-timeskip for now, although i'll probably continue the story until it becomes post-timeskip, if i remember to keep updating.**

**Until then! hopefully :D**


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